Spurred by budget woes, the Lakeville school board voted Tuesday to close Crystal Lake Elementary this summer.
The 6-0 vote came five days after a consultant told the board which one of the district's nine elementary schools should close.
Tuesday's meeting drew several dozen parents and teachers, some of whom called the decision rushed or said Crystal Lake was the wrong choice. But others said they understood the financial situation -- including the state budget crisis and a rejected local tax increase -- that led to the board's decision.
"The fact that there aren't 350 parents and 100 staff members sitting behind me tonight has to do with the fact that we are team players," said Bill Mack, principal of Crystal Lake. "We are not happy with this decision but realize its inevitability."
The president of Crystal Lake's parent-teacher organization, Jennifer Harmening, asked the board to give Crystal Lake a seat on the committee that will now draft a plan to change attendance boundaries at other schools. Superintendent Gary Amoroso said he would discuss the request with the board's chairwoman.
Some parents and teachers said the board's choice focused too much on money and not enough on kids. Some argued that other schools have maintenance issues such as water damage and problems with mice that make them less suitable for learning.
All of Lakeville's schools are safe and follow health standards, Amoroso said.
Amoroso had earlier proposed to close a school in 2012, but board members opted to make the move this year to save money and shorten a period of community tumult. That put them on a much tighter timeline to pick the building.
